Although the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) has clearly specified some rules for emergency call, in practice, there are still many differences among implementations for emergency calls in different countries. For example, the emergency phone number for police in the United States is 911, while in China it is 110. When calling for an emergency service, in some countries, such as the United States, only the emergency call category (e.g. Police, Fire, and so on) is required. This kind of call mode is referred to as emergency call mode which is based on 3GPP. In some countries, such as China, when calling for an emergency service, not only the emergency call category but also the destination number is required. Note that the destination numbers vary from country to country, so it would be troublesome.
With the enhancement of international communication, it is common for users of communication terminals (e.g. mobile phones) to travel from country to country. These users may encounter emergency situations, thus corresponding emergency services are needed. For example, when someone is robbed, an emergency call for police is in urgent need. However, as emergency phone numbers are different among different countries, and even in a same country, the emergency phone numbers are different for different kinds of emergency services. Besides, as recited above, the call modes may be different as well. Therefore, when someone desires to call for police, he or she needs to know the corresponding call mode and/or the corresponding destination number, which is troublesome and may cause sever damages due to delay of emergency service.
Therefore, a method and an apparatus, which can provide a universal emergency call service, are required.